Saturday, February 04, 2012

I took the New York Giants and the 3 points, plus the under 55 points. I parlayed them. I took the money-line on the Giants to win straight up.

Bottom line is that I think the Giants are better than the Patriots. The Giants have a better defense. Defense wins championships. The Giants have a better running game, and both Bradshaw and Jacobs are healthy. The Giants have better receivers - maybe the best trio in the game. This can be a ball control offense. Manning has done well against the pass rush. Of course, the Giants were a little inconsistent in the middle of the season when the injury bug hit them, but they are at full strength and have momentum.

The Patriots have better tight ends, but Gronkowksi is hurting. Don't overlook the impact Gronk has in this offense - especially near the redzone. The Patriots running game has been weak. The defense is weak. Do the Patriots have a deep-threat wide receiver? Tom Brady is a great quarterback and Wes Welker is great underneath the coverage. Brady can look off his game with a good pass rush.

On paper.

The reality is that the game will come down to turnovers and penalties. At this level, both teams can win. The Giants will need to pressure Brady. The Patriots will need to get to Manning. The key to winning this game is messing up the other team's quarterback and not making the mental mistakes.

I took the New York Giants and the 3 points, plus the under 55 points. I parlayed them. I took the money-line on the Giants to win straight up.

Bottom line is that I think the Giants are better than the Patriots. The Giants have a better defense. Defense wins championships. The Giants have a better running game, and both Bradshaw and Jacobs are healthy. The Giants have better receivers - maybe the best trio in the game. This can be a ball control offense. Manning has done well against the pass rush. Of course, the Giants were a little inconsistent in the middle of the season when the injury bug hit them, but they are at full strength and have momentum.

The Patriots have better tight ends, but Gronkowksi is hurting. Don't overlook the impact Gronk has in this offense - especially near the redzone. The Patriots running game has been weak. The defense is weak. Do the Patriots have a deep-threat wide receiver? Tom Brady is a great quarterback and Wes Welker is great underneath the coverage. Brady can look off his game with a good pass rush.

On paper.

The reality is that the game will come down to turnovers and penalties. At this level, both teams can win. The Giants will need to pressure Brady. The Patriots will need to get to Manning. The key to winning this game is messing up the other team's quarterback and not making the mental mistakes.